Facts About Texas History: 7 Things You Might Not Know

Most Americans are familiar with the Alamo, George Bush's legacy and some other common trivia about the Lone Star state. But other facts about Texas are rather obscure. No, these aren't tall tales, these are real events taken directly from the history books.

Here are seven things you might not know about Texas:

1. Keep Your Camel on a Leash

Okay maybe not a leash, but keep him locked up in the backyard. According to the Houston Chronicle, it is illegal to allow your camel run loose on the beach in Galveston, Texas. The law comes from increased camel imports during the 1850s. Residents planned to use these four-legged taxis to travel the town. The deal quickly turned south and camels started to roam freely.

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2. Gender Crisis

Before Janis Joplin went down the long road of despair, she was popular at one Texas college. One of the fraternities at the University of Texas at Austin voted her the Ugliest Man on Campus, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Texas Historical Association states Joplin shrugged it off and used it as a joke later own. Maybe this was one of the factors leading to darker thoughts and depression.

3. Things Really Are Bigger in Texas

Texas is the second largest state with nearly 27 million people, the second most populous behind only California, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.Texas has the largest state capitol building and the highest speed limit, a whopping 85 miles per hour along a stretch of toll road between Austin and San Antonio, according to Fox News.

4. Meet Oscar

Oscar, the Academy Award statuette, has strong roots in the Lone Star State. And, while no one really knows how the statuette received its name, popular legends say it was named for Texan Oscar Pierce. His niece, Margaret Herrick, worked in Hollywood for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. When she saw the gold statuette, she reportedly said, "Why, that looks just like my Uncle Oscar," according to the official Oscars website.

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5. A Tale of Two Presidents

If a teacher were to ask, "What two Presidents were born in Texas?" most students would get this answer wrong. No, it wasn't George W. or George H.W. Bush. While the Bush family has strong Texas roots, neither president was born there. They were born in New England.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born 1890 in Denison, Texas. And President Lyndon B. Johnson was born 1908 in Stonewall, Texas, according to History.com.

6. An Uneven Divide

Contrary to popular belief, Texas doesn't have any right to succeed from the U.S. But its 1845 annexation agreement does permit separating the Lone Star State into as many as five individual states without federal approval, according to the U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. 

7. Don't Mess with Texas

Have you ever wondered where the phrase "Don't Mess with Texas" originated? In the 1980s, Texas spent about $20 million a year cleaning up trash along its highways. The state had tried different campaigns to stop littering, but none of them clicked. Texas recruited an advertising agency to create a new campaign. Designers created the "Don’t mess with Texas" slogan, which first aired on television during the 1986 Cotton Bowl.

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